Disclaimer: FFX, not mine. SquareEnix, not mine. None of it belongs to me. I know that, you know that.

Author's Note: Post-FFX, pre-FFX2; SPOILERS! Longer than my typical one-shot, but the words just kept coming! Thought this time I'd try something different, cuz I haven't seen too many one-shots focusing just on this couple. Here we witness a tender moment on Besaid between Wakka and Lulu.

Drowning

Chirping crickets were Lulu's only company as she walked the earthen path up the hill. The crescent moon rode high in the blue-black sky, casting a silvery swath on the ground and making it surprisingly easy for her to see her way. Of course she could just as easily have enchanted her Fire Moomba doll to float in front of her and cast her own light with a Fire spell. Tonight, though, she wanted to dissolve into the darkness, become one with the night.

It was foolhardy, she knew, sneaking out late at night like this. Wakka was sure to have a fit if he found out. But she needed to do this. She needed to get away. So much had happened so fast. She needed to be alone, to think.

Lulu reached the summit. She gazed at Besaid Village sleeping down below, with only tiny specks of light from torches standing guard outside of the thatch huts. Her eyes zeroed in on the one in which Wakka slept. She hoped he would not wake and find her gone.

She turned to leave and saw the shrine, where Yevon's faithful used to pray for safe passage through the waters that Sin inhabited. Quite a few of the elderly villagers still kept unshakable faith with Yevon's teachings. They still visited the temple that overlooked the sea. Even with Sin gone, they still believed that Yevon held the keys to the future. A small part of Lulu wanted to keep to tradition and make reverence to this bit of holy ground. It was just how she was raised.

Instead she walked on past it, keeping her gaze on the path in front of her. She would no longer pay homage to an institution that had lied to Spira for the past thousand years.

In short order she had reached the lagoon just downhill from the shrine. The water rippled toward the shore. It looked so inviting. Lulu could almost hear it whisper to her, Come in. You know you want to. She looked around. No one was here except her. Surrounded by cliffs and trees, nothing but the silvery moon looked down upon it. There was perfect privacy here.

Lifting her belted leather skirt, she removed her black heeled boots and lace-trimmed nylons. She could now feel the smooth round pebbles on the shore beneath her feet. She unbuckled the straps on her sleeves, then reached behind her to unlace the corset-like bodice of her dress. Without all of those tight enclosures, her fur-trimmed gown simply slipped off her body to the ground. One step out of the circle of fabric and she was rid of it completely.

Her necklaces and earrings removed, she reached up and pulled the beaded pins from the knot of hair atop her head. The braided tresses fell, the ends reaching the backs of her knees. She pulled apart the many plaits until her hair rippled like a midnight waterfall around her naked frame.

She felt her hair brush her skin as she moved toward the water. Crimson eyes could not resist one more furtive glance around; after all, one could never tell what was out there. Experience had taught her to always be ready for anything, seeing as she had grown up with fiends running rampant all over Spira. Seeing nothing, she advanced one step, then another.

One foot in the water told Lulu that it was cool, but not uncomfortably frigid. In an instant she felt the goosebumps spread, felt every inch of her skin tighten, as much from pleasure as from the temperature. This was just what she needed: to be completely free and alone with her thoughts, with no prying eyes. She walked out until the water was just below her breasts. Her hair spread and floated at the surface like a cloud of ink.

She skimmed her hand across the surface, sending out ripples that collided with the ones moving toward shore. So many things happening leading up to this moment in time, colliding head-on and intertwining with each other, just like these ripples… Her head hurt just thinking about it.

Growing up a dutiful daughter of Yevon, she never would have dreamed that the clergy, the maesters themselves, would lie and even kill to keep its secrets safe—that ultimately, death was Spira's true essence; even the people who governed it were not of this world. Most painful of all was the fact that a summoner was destined to give his, or her, life for Spira, to fight and defeat Sin, and in the end it was all for naught. "Sin is an inevitable part of Spira's destiny. It is never-ending." That was what Lady Yunalesca had said. It always came back. It always would.

The words of the First Lady of Yevon struck Lulu at the heart. It made her shiver now to think of the harsh reality that hit her full-force back then. Humanity would never attain the kind of purity that merited a world without Sin. So she and the guardians stood steadfast with Yuna as they all took matters into their own hands. They went for Sin's very core—Jecht, Lord Braska's chosen fayth ten years before; and Yu Yevon, the being that made sure Sin came back again and again—and destroyed for good the entity that had plagued Spira for a thousand years.

Lulu could not help feeling a sense of vengeance at its defeat. She had lost someone she loved to that spineless beast. Chappu, Wakka's kid brother, was her light in a world darkened by a never-ending spiral of death. They had been practically childhood sweethearts, growing especially close after losing their parents to Sin at such young ages. What a match they had made: he, the happy-go-lucky kid who was determined to have fun in the grim world they were trapped in; she, the serious little girl who chose to retreat from the outside world until he convinced her to enjoy life while she could.

Then it was all over in the blink of an eye. Chappu just up and enlisted with the Crusaders. Luzzu convinced him to do it. Lulu could never decide whether her lover was brave or just plain foolish. She remembered hearing him say, "Being with your girl is good, but keeping Sin far away from her is better." It was selfish, she knew, but she couldn't have cared less about where Sin was. She wanted Chappu on Besaid with her. But he was as reckless and stubborn as he was sweet and gentle. He wouldn't even pray at the hilltop shrine before catching the boat out to Luca. And then…positioned there on the beach in Djose, an Al Bhed machina weapon in his hands, Sin crushed him to death. It was a good thing she wasn't there to see it; she couldn't have borne to see his blood staining the gray-and-white sand. Only after the fact did she find out Chappu's plans from a while back: that once the Besaid Aurochs won the Crystal Cup…he would ask her to marry him.

Lulu's heart hurt even more for Yuna. Journeying with the young man named Tidus on Yuna's pilgrimage made the black mage even bitterer; such a resemblance he bore to her lost love, and she hated that Wakka had taken him under his wing in the first place. Eventually she warmed up to the boy. But then, when Sin was gone, so was he. The young summoner was the savior of Spira, but at such a grievous price. The man she loved had been erased from existence along with Sin, just as Chappu had been. Unlike Chappu, however, Tidus had simply disappeared. They never knew if he was truly dead. He was just…gone.

These days, Lulu watched Yuna receive people every day, watched her present a smile to them and to the world as she always had. But Wakka and Lulu knew that the High Summoner was not the same woman anymore. She had lost the sparkle in her two-toned eyes that Tidus had put there. She waited endlessly, waited to see him walk back into her life. And as yet, he had not.

Bringing her mind back from a past that was a mixture of joy and sorrow, Lulu acted on an impulse and submerged her whole body beneath the surface of the water. Her body went flaccid as she let herself float for a moment. She re-surfaced only when her need for air demanded it. In a way, the self-induced baptism helped cleanse her of all the pain and sorrow that had plagued her.

Her mind turned then to Wakka. After his brother's death, she had emotionally shut down. Wakka kept telling her he was there for her, but she was too bitter to care. At times she just wanted to die so she could be with Chappu. But something started to grow in her heart, something she couldn't identify. All she knew was that it had something to do with Wakka. She could never forget her first love, but sometimes she would look at Wakka and feel that same spark…

No, she thought now. A fresh splash of water hit her face as she slapped her forehead, trying to bring herself back to the real world. She whirled around and indignantly splashed her way to shore. She could never feel that way toward Wakka, never! He was her dead lover's brother! To fall for him would be a grave offense to Chappu's memory. She mentally slapped herself again as she pulled on her dress and shifted her wet hair over one shoulder, reaching for the laces on her bodice.

And yet, as she sat on the shore and struggled to re-tie the laces, she realized that with Chappu gone, Wakka was the only one left in the world, besides Yuna, who really cared about her. Sometimes she caught herself staring into his chocolate-brown eyes, and in those moments, she lost all sense of where she was. She would wish she could stay lost in them forever. She just couldn't help herself.

A twig snapped, dangerously close by. A gasp escaped Lulu's lavender lips as she hastened to cover herself; with the bodice not yet securely laced, her dress was loose around her shoulders and threatened to fall unless she held it in place. She quickly looked around, but saw nothing. But it was as if she could feel a pair of prying eyes upon her somewhere in the brush nearby.

"Show yourself!" she shouted, trying to still the tremor in her voice. She would not show fear to an unseen foe.

She flinched as a tall figure came into view, one she easily recognized thanks to the moon. Immediately she turned her face away. "What are you doing here?"

Wakka was silent for a moment. He stared at the ground, keeping his gaze away from Lulu as he tried to find his words.

"I was sound asleep," he began, his Besaid accent wrapping around every word, "and all of a sudden something just…jolted me awake, ya? It was like…I could sense something wasn't right. I went over to your hut and it was empty. I followed the path up the hill…and then I saw something by the water. I came closer…"

"And you found me," Lulu finished for him, her tone sharp.

"Lu, I swear I didn't mean to—"

"To what? Watch me from the shadows like a stalker? Invade my privacy?"

Wakka was shamed into silence. Angrily Lulu continued to re-tie the laces at her back—or at least tried to re-tie them.

She heard Wakka seat himself on the ground behind her, felt his fingers brush hers. Slowly she let go of the laces and surrendered them to him. He gently pulled them, cinching the bodice together. He heard no intake of breath that would indicate discomfort, so he tied off the laces there.

Now it was Lulu's turn to look at the ground. As angry as she was with the man sitting near her, she was grateful for his help. "Thank you," she said softly.

His only response was a smile and that trademark scratch of the back of his sunset-haired head.

Both of them just sat there, wrapped in a rather awkward silence. Then, all seemed to go darker than before. Something small and cold landed on Lulu's bare shoulder. She looked to see that it was a drop of water. Another landed on her cheek when she looked up at the sky. The moon and stars were disappearing fast behind a heavy veil of clouds. More and more drops started falling faster and faster, until they came down in cold, hard sheets. Bright light illuminated the sky for a split second, followed not long after by a clap of thunder.

Lulu groaned in annoyance. She hated the storms that could always take Besaid by surprise. "I'm wet enough already, for Yevon's sake!" she shouted to the sky. Wakka stifled a laugh at that. He stood with hand outstretched. Lulu placed her thin white hand in his, allowing him to help her to her feet. She picked up her nylons, boots, and jewelry, and they proceeded to run back to the village.

x-x-x

The fire was small but thankfully warm. Lulu sat on one end of the cot in Wakka's hut, wrapped in a blanket, staring at the dancing flames. She felt the last of the water from the lagoon and the storm dissolve and dry into nothing. Slowly she combed through her long dark hair with her fingers. It dried very gradually, forming waves as it did so. She looked over at Wakka. He was wrapped in his own blanket, his wet blitz vest and sandals laid aside, and was regarding her from the other end of the cot with a slight smile.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing."

She looked back at the fire. Lightening flashed outside, and in that moment a sudden thought came to her. "How much did you see…back there?"

"Nothing," he repeated.

She glared at him, making sure he wasn't lying.

He held up his hands innocently. "I swear on Yevon's name, ya? I got there only after you had your dress back on."

Her gaze turned toward the ground. She was grateful he had not seen her uncovered, and yet…the thought occurred to her that one day he would, with her full consent…

Her face grew hot at that, and she wrapped herself tighter in the blanket. Wakka saw her flush pink in the firelight. Ever so slowly he inched closer to her. She felt his arm settle around her waist. A thousand butterflies suddenly sprang up unbidden in her stomach, setting her aflutter so that she had to force herself to calm.

"Do you mind?" he asked, indicating the placement of his arm.

Lulu herself was surprised at her one-word reply: "No."

Wakka felt relief to hear it, and decided to go a little further, resting his chin on her bare shoulder. She could feel his breath, warm on her skin, and then…his lips touched it and lingered for a moment. A sigh escaped her own lips before she could stop it. Another kiss followed, and then another; they came in a slow trail across her shoulder and up her neck, stopping just below her ear. She couldn't help wondering, though: did it mean…?

No, it couldn't…could it? Hesitantly she turned her face toward his.

He just looked at her for a moment, taking in everything: milky pale skin; rounded oval face; straight and shapely nose; the small black dot on her cheek that only served to draw attention to full, silvery purple lips. Tentatively he reached up a hand, brushed away the wet ebony tendrils of her hair to reveal the crimson eye that hid behind them. He was momentarily taken aback at the sight. Rarely did one get a full-on view of both of her eyes at the same time. They bespoke a powerful, almost intimidating presence. At the same time, though, it was…intoxicating, especially now with the dancing flames reflecting in them. He could simply lose himself, drown in those blood-red pools. The black mage whose face was mere inches away from his was weaving spells around his heart without saying a word, without even knowing it.

He surrendered to it instantly, capturing her lips with his own.

For a moment she felt herself stiffen in surprise. Her mind buzzed with a million indiscernible thoughts; most distinct was the irony that she was the mage and yet he was working magic around her heart, just as she was doing to him without realizing it. Finally she just stopped thinking altogether, letting feeling take over. She felt the heat radiating out from his body and wrapping around her slender frame; the strong arm around her waist, making her wish he'd hold fast and never let her go; the hand stroking her neck—a blitzer's naturally rough-skinned hand and yet a gentle one; the soft lips caressing hers, also gentle and seemingly respectful; the prickle of the tiniest stubble on his upper lip.

For his part, Wakka just hoped he hadn't offended the woman in his arms. It didn't feel that way, considering how she was responding to the kiss. But this was Lulu. She wasn't the most emotional person…usually. Besides, he knew how attached she was to Chappu's memory. Would his little brother be okay with this? Or would Chappu curse the union from the Farplane? Instead of continuing the kiss, Wakka backed away gently.

He took a moment before he spoke. "Lu…I know you and Chappu…" He did not know how to continue. He opened his mouth to try again, but Lulu put a finger to his lips as if to seal them.

"All Chappu wanted," she said, "was for me to be happy. Nothing else mattered to him. So if I found happiness with…oh, say, his older brother, he wouldn't start raining down curses from the Farplane."

Damn, thought Wakka, it's like she can read my mind. Does she have that kind of power? It was then that he noticed the upward curve at the corners of her mouth—a rare sight when looking upon the face of stoic Lulu. "Lu, is that a smile?"

She looked away, put on a straight face and pretended seriousness. "You must be seeing things."

"Oh no. You can't fool me, Lu. That was a smile, admit it." He tried to tickle the confession out of her, his arms of steel keeping her pinned against him so she couldn't escape.

Amid helpless laughter she broke down. "Alright…alright…you win…it was…a smile…please stop…."

He would have continued the torture, just to hear her laugh (another rare occurrence with her). Ever the gentleman, however, he did stop. He kissed her again, more deeply this time. She returned the ardor, and felt all restraint slip away. She reached for the laces on his blitz pants.

He backed away for a moment, looking into her crimson eyes questioningly. A shy smile and small nod of her pretty head answered his silent inquiry; she knew what she was doing. The kisses went on, slow and sweet, as the pair pulled their blankets to the floor and moved closer to the fire. With Lulu's help, Wakka's pants were shed, and he worked to untie the laces on her dress. Not too long before he had tied them himself, and now he thought, Why'd I have to tie them so damn tight? In short order, however, Lulu shed her dress—again.

The storm raged on outside, but the blitzer and the mage cared not one bit, as they became lost in a storm of their own—one born not of nature, but of passion.

I'm going under, drowning in you.
I'm falling forever. I've got to break through,
I'm…going under.

x-x-x

All was dark outside now. The thunder had faded away, so one could only hear the rain coming down in a steady patter.

The fire burned low in Wakka's hut, flickering and casting shadows on his rugged face. He lay on his back, eyes closed in a light slumber. His arm was draped around Lulu, who lay next to him beneath the blanket. She ran her fingers over the ridges of his chest, lightly so as not to wake him. She marveled at the softness of his skin. A smile tilted the corners of her mouth. In her wildest dreams she had never seen herself where she was now. To think that not so long ago, she had basked in Chappu's love and then despaired of ever feeling that way again after his death. To think that she had once scoffed at Tidus's idea of her being with Wakka. At this point, she and the sunset-haired blitzer were well beyond merely "getting along great." She had been happy with Chappu, no doubt about it; those had actually been the happiest days of her life. But that happiness could not nearly compare to the happiness she felt now, with Wakka.

Her fingers traveled up to stroke his cheek. Only then did he respond to her touch. His eyes opened slowly, and he turned his face to her. He saw her smile and could only smile back. No words came to him. What could any man say after making love to the woman of his dreams, especially a woman like Lulu?

A long moment passed. The only sounds were the pattering rain and the crackle of burning wood. At last, all that Wakka could think to say was, "You alright?" She certainly seemed alright, but again, one could never tell for sure with Lulu.

She gave a little laugh. "Never better," she answered.

Wakka was relieved. His face grew solemn. "Lulu," he began and then hesitated.

Usually he just called her Lu. That he now used her given name was an indicator to her that he was being either extremely serious or extremely emotional.

"Lulu…I love you."

She looked directly into his eyes, searched for any glimmer of uncertainty. Finding none, she knew that he was being serious and emotional.

At once she found a smile for him, for she knew she could respond in kind with those three potent words. "I love you."

He reached over to push a strand of hair out of her eyes. His hand traveled along the curve of her cheek, down her neck, and moved to take hold of Lulu's hand. A sigh escaped him. "I've wanted to ask you this for a long time."

Lulu's heart skipped a beat when she heard that. She held her breath.

"Will you marry me?"

Three seconds after the words left his mouth, it found itself in contact with Lulu's. She took him quite by surprise, moving halfway on top of him and leaning against his chest as she gave him the most fervent kiss he had ever tasted.

When she let go of his lips, he said with a chuckle, "I take it that's a 'yes'?"

She rolled her eyes and giggled for pure delight. "Yes! Damn it, yes!"

It was the first time he had ever heard her swear. Wakka almost couldn't believe it. The serious, down-to-earth mage he had known his whole life was dissolving into an uninhibited, happy girl before his eyes. Here was proof that Sin was truly gone, that the Calm had come and was here to stay. The two of them could finally let go of all the pain and sorrow of the past. They were choosing to face the future without regret, without fear, and they were choosing to face it together. Wakka's laughter sounded in harmony with Lulu's. It was infectious, he couldn't help it. The pair laughed until they were in tears.

They calmed down when the fire was just small licks of flame on a bed of embers. Wakka reached toward the woodpile for more kindling. The flames came to life again with the addition of two logs. Once the shadows grew long and started dancing again on the walls, the contented lovers lay back down. Curled up in each other's arms, they fell asleep to the sounds of burning wood, the rain slowing to a stop, and the crickets coming back outside to resume their song.

As long as love will flood my mornings,
As long as my body will quiver beneath your hands,
The problems matter so little to me,
My love, because you love me.

More intense than my usual stuff, I know. But like I said, I wanted to do something different. Hope you enjoyed it!

Lyrics at the end of the second part are from "Going Under" by Evanescence. Lyrics at the very end are translated from the French from "Hymne à l'Amour" by Josh Groban.